1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for playing a game, such as a competition game, e.g. a baseball game, using a computer apparatus and a pointing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
It has been widely performed to play games such as tennis, soccer and baseball games using a programmed computer apparatus. The games have a variety of contents, but mostly, a player (operator) controls a motion or behavior of a player character using a data input unit, and a score is determined depending on how properly the player controls the behavior of the player character relative to a ball coming from a counterpart character controlled by a computer apparatus or a counterpart player. For example, in case of a baseball game, a score is determined depending on how well a batter character as a player character hits back a ball thrown by a pitcher character as a counterpart character.
In this event, the operation contents of the player mainly include determination of position and posture of the batter character, selection and adjustment of a bat, bat swing timing, bat swing position and bat swing angle. For realizing such operations, a pointing device is normally used, which is connected to a computer apparatus main body. In general, a pointing device detects displacement amounts thereof moved by a player in X and Y coordinate directions to identify a corresponding two-dimensional coordinate position, and notifies the identified coordinate position to a computer apparatus main body. The position of the batter character is determined by identifying this coordinate position. Further, the pointing device produces a timing signal when a switch thereof is pushed by the player at a desired time point and notifies it to the computer apparatus main body. The bat swing timing is determined based on this timing signal.
The computer apparatuses are roughly divided into those which are dedicated for playing games, such as game apparatuses, and those which can be widely used for various purposes, such as personal computers. In the former case, an analog or digital joy-stick or a controller having it is used as a pointing device. The analog joy-stick is provided with a projected member of a given size having a root portion where sensors are disposed for outputting X and Y coordinates as analog values. When a player tilts the projected member using fingers, the analog joy-stick designates a coordinate position in a two-dimensional region according to a tilting operation. On the other hand, the digital joy-stick is normally provided with cross keys having sensors or switches for deriving coordinates in upward, downward, leftward and rightward directions, respectively. When a player continues to depress one or two of the cross keys, the digital joy-stick designates a coordinate position in a two-dimensional region according to a depressing operation.
On the other hand, as pointing devices of personal computers, mice, portable track balls and portable slide pads are normally used. Among them, a mouse or portable track ball is provided with a pair of sensors for detecting displacement magnitudes of X and Y coordinates, respectively, and a ball for simultaneously driving both sensors. When a player rolls the ball in a target direction directly by hand or indirectly via a desk surface, a coordinate position in a two-dimensional region is designated. A slide pad is provided with sensors for detecting contact positions of fingers of a player, a moving direction and magnitude, and designates a coordinate position in a two-dimensional region according to a detection result. In principle, the slide pad realizes the technique of the mouse or track ball in a digital way.
A difference between the pointing devices of the game apparatus and the personal computer mainly resides in handling of a pointer. Specifically, in case of the joy-stick, a pointer is not normally displayed on a screen. This has a merit in view of not spoiling visuality on the screen. As appreciated, data corresponding to a pointer, i.e. a virtual pointer, exists in the game apparatus. This virtual pointer moves as long as a player continues to push the projected member or the cross key/keys. Thus, when moving the virtual pointer in a desired direction by an approximate distance or quickly returning the virtual pointer to a home position, the joy-stick may be a better tool for operation than the pointing devices of the personal computers, such as a mouse. However, data inputted by the joy-stick relates only to a moving direction of the virtual pointer, i.e. a moving magnitude of the virtual pointer only depends on the length of an input time.
On the other hand, in case of the mouse or the like, a pointer is always displayed on a screen. Further, data inputted by the mouse or the like relates to both moving direction and magnitude. Thus, regardless of the length of an input time, a moving direction and magnitude of a pointer can be inputted by one operation. Therefore, when a game requires a quick movement of a pointer to a random position and then requires an action at the moved position, the mouse or the like is better than the joy-stick.
At present, the game apparatuses are more popular than the personal computers as a computer apparatus for playing a game, and thus, game programs also have the contents which are suitable for operation by the pointing devices of the game apparatuses.
However, as described above, since the pointer is not displayed on the screen in the game apparatus, it is difficult for the game apparatus to realize the game wherein the pointer should be moved to a random position quickly and precisely and then an action is required at the moved position. Further, in case of the game apparatuses, only a person who bought it tends to be the sole player, and it is difficult for the game apparatuses to realize a game in which many players join. On the other hand, in case of the personal computers, i.e. general-purpose computer apparatuses, a user range is wide, and further, the personal computers can utilize a network, i.e. a communication infrastructure, more extensively as compared with the game apparatuses.